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Car detailing checklist

20 steps in 5 stages, from prep to the final walk-around. Choose Client detail to add intake and handoff steps for a paid job.

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Before water

Wheels and pre-rinse

Contact wash and dry

Interior

Finish and reset

Job notes

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Job record

Personal detail · 0 of 20 checks complete · 0%

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Outstanding

20 steps
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Confirm a cool surface, safe weather, drainage, and enough light
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Read the labels. Prepare the required safety equipment and mix ratios
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Inspect paint, wheels, trim, glass, interior, and pre-existing damage
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Remove personal items and set aside anything that should not be cleaned
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Check that wheels and brakes are cool
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Clean tires, faces, barrels, and arches with dedicated tools
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Pre-rinse from the roof down; spend time on seams and heavy soil
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Treat bugs or tar where needed. Follow the label time before rinsing
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Wash cleanest upper panels first with lubricated, straight passes
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Use a separate clean mitt on lower, dirtier panels
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Rinse thoroughly and inspect emblems, mirrors, handles, and jamb edges
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Dry with clean paint-safe towels or filtered air; do not drag a saturated towel
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Remove debris dry: air, brush, vacuum, then reassess stains
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Clean headliner only if needed, then work from upper surfaces down
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Use a cleaner approved for the surface. Do not soak switches, seams, or seat holes
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Clean glass last with a dedicated towel and inspect from two angles
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Apply protection only to a clean, compatible surface and buff as directed
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Walk around in good light; check tires, glass, drips, jambs, and forgotten tools
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Separate wheel, paint, and interior towels. Wash and dry as their labels direct
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Refill bottles, list low supplies, clean tools, and note what took extra time

Job notes

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How the checklist runs

A personal detail has 20 steps in 5 stages: Before water; Wheels and pre-rinse; Contact wash and dry; Interior; Finish and reset. Wheels come before the paint wash, and the wash runs from the cleanest upper panels down to the dirtiest. The interior follows, then protection, a final walk-around, and the towel and supply reset.

Client detail adds 4 intake steps before any work: agree the scope and price, photograph existing damage with permission, agree how extra work gets approved, and confirm payment. It also adds 6 handoff steps after the work, from after photos to payment and a review request. That makes 30 steps for a paid job.

When you choose Save progress, your checks and notes stay in this browser only. Print the job record to keep a copy or give one to the customer.

Guides for each stage

Read the safe maintenance wash for the wash and dry steps, and the interior reset guide for the cabin. For a paid job, see how to prepare for your first paid detail and set the price with the pricing calculator.